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169 stories matching worthless
- The Tacoma Water Scandal
City council members push through a controversial water plant deal despite claims of massive overvaluation and a 'worthless' indemnity bond.
- The City’s 'Worthless' Vagabond Problem
A 1885 editorial call for the city to forcibly expel the unemployed, framed as a nuisance to the thriving Pacific Northwest economy.
- The Gray-Haired Con Man Who Left Newport's Saloons Holding Bad Paper
Posing as a copper-company man with money in local banks, William Andrew cashed worthless checks across Newport and Sandpoint—then vanished before anyone could collect.
- The Price of Reckless Growth
When Lewis County hit its constitutional debt limit, local officials were left holding worthless warrants—a sharp reminder of the pitfalls of municipal overreach in 1891.
- The Unchecked Movement of 'Worthless' Buildings
A local editor slams lax city ordinances after a businessman relocates a derelict building into the heart of Yakima.
- Banker Charged in Fraud Scandal
The former cashier of the wrecked Merchants' National Bank is accused of selling worthless drafts to unsuspecting customers.
- The Price of a Phony Partnership
A Seattle man alleges he was swindled into buying a worthless photo studio by a pair of partners who claimed to have phantom land holdings.
- Police Urged to 'Clean Out' Seattle's Vagabonds
An editorial from the Post-Intelligencer calls for the removal of 'worthless vagabonds' from the city, warning of potential murder and riots.
- The Failed Promise of Seattle’s Police
A critical editorial reflects on the incompetence of the local force during times of unrest and the corrupting influence of political patronage.
- The Intellectual Con Artist of the Fife Hotel
A well-dressed man claiming to be the former secretary to Sir John Macdonald flees Tacoma after leaving behind a trail of worthless checks.
- A Hard Lesson in Friendship
A local clerk is swindled out of $200 by a former employer who promised a return on a worthless bank draft.
- The Great Tax Assessment Debacle of 1887
King County taxpayers find themselves in an uproar as a bungled property assessment, based on a worthless abstract, threatens the city’s financial stability.
- The Great Seattle Straw Hat Swindle
A smooth-talking grifter fleeced the crowds of Seattle by promising cheap hats, only to leave them holding handfuls of worthless paper.
- The Gold Brick Swindle
A small-town banker loses his life savings to a sophisticated confidence scheme involving a fake Indian and a worthless brick.
- The Spokane 'Monte Cristo' Swindles the City
A charismatic stranger dazzled Spokane with tales of gold and a lavish lifestyle, only to leave town with $10,000 in worthless checks.
- The 'Pretty Widow' Conning the Coast
A charming socialite accused of swindling Seattle investors with worthless oil stocks awaits her day in court, leaving police convinced no jury will dare to convict her.
- The Con Man Who Taught the City a Lesson
A prolific swindler who posed as a businessman and senator-associate leaves a trail of bounced checks and broken promises across Seattle, Tacoma, and Fairhaven.
- The Woman With the Little Girl and the Worthless Checks
A forger calling herself Myra F. Parker worked Ellensburg shopkeepers with small purchases and big checks, then vanished into a Northwest-wide manhunt.
- The Great Seattle Property Map Scandal
A scathing editorial reveals that King County’s property assessments are so riddled with errors that the tax rolls are essentially worthless, leaving the local government in a state of administrative paralysis.
- The Miracle of the Swinomish Flats
A century and a half ago, the Skagit Valley’s richest farmland was dismissed as worthless marshland. Today, it’s an agricultural powerhouse.
- The House Would Rather Not Buy the Railroads
Olympia lawmakers mock a memorial urging Congress to foreclose on the Pacific railroads, then vote 67-55 to let the matter drop.
- Ballard's Water Bonds Go to Court
A taxpayer sued to stop Ballard from paying $8,500 for a private waterworks plant he called worthless—money voters had approved to build the city's own artesian wells.
- Tacoma Sues Water Company for $1 Million Over a Dry Promise
City officials say Patterson Springs delivered a fraction of the promised flow, making the costly gravity system practically worthless.
- A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.
- The Tacoma Check-Kite Who Vanished Into Thin Air
A mysterious stranger from San Francisco duped local merchants out of hundreds of dollars with worthless drafts before disappearing, leaving a trail of broken trust in the heart of downtown Tacoma.